Chris Coleman has plenty to ponder ahead of a tricky friendly in front of a potential 70,000 Ukrainian fans.
Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Chris Coleman accepts he has taken a risk by choosing Ukraine as Wales’ penultimate warm-up opponents for Euro 2016. The Wales manager agreed the Kiev fixture as Russia are among their Group B rivals in France this summer. But Wales are once more without star pair Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey in what is certain to be a hostile environment at Kiev’s 70,000-capacity Olympic Stadium on Monday night.

“When you go to places like this you find out a lot about players,” said Coleman. “But we want it to be risky and we want it to be edgy. You learn nothing if you go into a game knowing if we are at 80% we will win 4-0. Those sorts of games are no use at all. You do not learn anything. It looks good on the CV as another win, but I get nothing from it in terms of the players or the team. If you go into a hostile environment against a good team you know you can end up with egg on your face if you do not turn up and perform. But I prefer it like this. We are in their backyard in a tough atmosphere, and we have to show we can cope.” Wales dominated possession and territory against Northern Ireland in Cardiff on Thursday, even if they owed their 1-1 draw to Simon Church’s last-minute penalty, but they might have to defend for long periods in Kiev against fellow Euro 2016 finalists.

Coleman, however, has the comfort of being able to call on his first choice defence and is likely to return to five at the back. The fit again Ben Davies is set to join skipper Ashley Williams and James Chester in the centre of defence with Chris Gunter and Neil Taylor deployed as wing-backs.

“The edge in the atmosphere is not for everyone,” said Coleman. “I have seen what it can do to some players. But guys like Ashley Williams are always the same in mentality, he always plays with that meaning and gives everything he has got.

“People say it is a tough place to go, it is cold, it is harsh and unfriendly. If it is that, fine. Ukraine are talented and aggressive, but we have to look at ourselves and stand up to that. That is always the message to the players and whether we can meet it.”

Coleman also expressed relief that Chester has finally claimed a regular starting spot at his club side West Brom following an £8million switch from Hull last summer. Chester was a lynchpin of the Wales defence in Euro qualification, but he started only once in the Premier League before February.

The 27-year-old even expressed his fears that he could miss out on Euro 2016 if he were not playing regular club football, but over the last two months he has broken into Tony Pulis’ Albion first team.

“Thankfully James has had a run of games now,” said Coleman. “That is a relief because if you are not playing, no matter how much training you do, you will be a bit short.

“He has been playing for West Brom, so that is good for him and important for us. He has been magnificent for us and if he was worried about being in the starting XI that would have been warranted.

“There was no worry about him being on the plane because it is obvious how good he has been for us. But starting in a tournament might have been different if he’d had no club football at all.”